LosCon Day 1!

Woke up early, drove to the hotel and had breakfast with Dad who has been sitting with me at the booth all day. Talk about "World's Greatest Dad" - anyone who does a show probably knows how great it is to have someone who can sit and watch things while you go use the restroom or grab a quick bite!

Things are about to close down, so I only have a minute - but thought I'd share a couple of pictures.

The front, bracelets and my "best" lanyards. What you see in the center are some ribbons hanging down from last BayCon - attracts a lot of attention! I've kept the front low so I can engage with the passers-by, all the tall stuff is to the sides - hiding in the back is Dad.

One side - necklaces


The other side - lanyards

And here are some wonderful Steampunk costumed visitors!

Might be back tomorrow! Having fun, hope you had a great Thanksgiving and if you were out today at the Black Friday sales that you got everything you wanted at amazingly good prices!!

Dawno

Have a Very Happy Thanksgiving!

Vintage Thanksgiving postcard graphic from The Graphics Fairy

I'll be packing the car this morning and then heading off on an approximately 400 mile drive to L.A. Tomorrow I may have time for a brief post, but since I'm not sure, I thought I'd leave my holiday greetings today.

I'll try, at the very least, to get some pictures up of the display on Friday.

If you're in the US, I hope you have a lovely day tomorrow with much to be thankful for in friendships and family. For other dear folk who visit from elsewhere, like Hilary from Canada and Davinia from Australia, I'm thankful that I live in a time when it's possible to have made your online acquaintance. Isn't it great to have the ability to make friends around the world?

Stay well, be happy, everyone!

Holiday Blogging Notice

As I will be traveling for about 8 hrs each day tomorrow, (Wednesday) and next Monday, then showing my designs at LosCon over the Thanksgiving weekend, blogging will be irregular and potentially skip a day or two. I'll try to do some live blogging from the con, maybe even a video (I still want to try out my new Flip!).

Thank you for following or stopping by occasionally, it's a honor to have you reading.

For all my US readers, have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Monday Miscellany - Beadin' Path "Sea Glass" Necklaces

Just a very quick post today - busy weekend trying to get organized for LosCon and also birthday shopping with my daughter.

I've made four new necklaces with the sea-glass style glass beads from The Beadin' Path that I'm really fond of. I've used CRYSTALLIZED™ Swarovski Elements and semi-precious gemstones in three of them and Bali sterling in the fourth. The gemstones are lemon chrysoprase, howlite, and snowflake obsidian. The blue and bali silver necklace has a matching bracelet (bottom right) and earrings (not shown). I wish I had red glass to make one more since I think it would be very nice with Christmas outfits, as will the green. I'm hoping I'll have time to make matching earrings and bracelets for the other three, too.

Hope you have a pleasant Monday and will be back tomorrow!

Weekly Wanderings Around the Beadosphere

If today's post seems a bit abbreviated, it's because I have so much to do before I leave for my show in L.A. Also, my daughter is here for a holiday visit, so I'm a bit pressed for time this morning. I'm just going to highlight just one post at a few of my favorite Beadosphere stops today.

There's a very good chance that because of the show, I won't be able to post a Wandering's next week at all, but we'll see.

As ususal, there's something fun and fabulous every day at A Bead A Day, but Lisa's post about her book is the one you absolutely must not miss! Congratulations, Lisa!

After Hours Art Glass shares a collage of new items

Beading Arts - necklace (work in progress) inspired by "Lady of Shalott" by Tennyson

The Beading Gem's Journal is another one that's hard to choose just one post from, since it's full of wonderful ideas and links each week, but I think this one about contemporary style earrings is a good representative sample. Plus, I really need to work on more earrings, so any bit inspiration helps!

BunnyBlogs - I think this is the first time I've mentioned this blog - and this post is a must read. Drea's friend is fostering two girls from Alabama and their story, until now, was heartbreaking.

See Wendy's creation Time Flies from her Rings & Things blog partner items at Craft Dinner.

Davinia shows off the great finds she made the other day and wonders how to seal the finish on some cool beads. If you have a suggestion about that I hope you'll leave a comment on her post at Deez News.

Earthenwood Studios' Melanie shares how she used the Rings & Things wooden chain and Idea-ology clasp in a wonderful necklace

It's hard to pick just one post from Just A Tish this week to feature, but since I seem to be sharing a number of Rings & Things blog partner posts, here's her very cool design using the Idea-ology antiqued plate and chain for a dramatic brooch.

Over at Silver Parrot this week she's been sharing the entries to a design contest (entry deadline is today at 5pm Pacific) she's having, and it's nearly impossible to feature just one post - but this is my favorite entry so far, so it's the one I'll link to.

Nikon Sniper - What might the picture in this post inspire you to make?

Willow Walker asks what you think of her ideas for a name for this gorgeous dichroic glass pendant.

Artbeads blog - Artbeads featured in 2009 Best of Stringing

Beadalon blog - beaded decor

The Beadin' Path - Weekly Beadditude by Dara: Oxidize your own jewelry

Friendly Plastic - I was skeptical until I saw the finished piece

Objects & Elements - announcing their new ICE resin site

Ornamentea - Thrifty & swiftie gifties

Rings & Things - 5 Favorite Things

SoftFlexGirl November Spotlight - and a "Double Feature", read about The Beadin' Path, their featured store!

In case you don't visit again beforehand, Happy Thanksgiving! I'm thankful that you share some of your time with me and doubly thankful for the great friends I've made around the Beadosphere this year.

Supplier Sales Saturday

Well, Thanksgiving is just five days away and Christmas is 5 weeks off. I'll be out of town, seeing my family and displaying my jewelry at LosCon after that. My husband and daughter are staying home, so it won't be a perfect holiday, but I'm certainly looking forward to it.

"Black Friday" and "Cyber Monday" are looming - me, I plan to do a lot of shopping on-line, but I'll be driving home on Cyber Monday, so I guess I'll miss those deals. Meanwhile, you don't have to miss a one of these!

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abeadstore.com Save 20% on All Items within this category. You must enter the coupon code ABSSUPERSALE as you check out. Offer expires on November 25th. Coupon codes also appear on the home page, D100 for 10% off orders of $100 or more and D250 for 15% off orders of $250 or more. You can bookmark their blog "Daily Bead Buzz" or get the info via email Newsletter, signup at this link for notice of special offers.

*Limited to items within the category and to the stock on hand. Only one coupon per order please. Valid only at abeadstore.com.

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If you're into mixed media the Alpha Stamps site has some great supplies and project ideas for Christmas. Right now Adirondack alcohol inks in singles and sets are on sale, scroll further down that page for the paint dabbers, also on sale.

If you want to see everything on sale at AlphaStamps, it's all on one page, too. If you're not familiar with AlphaStamps, you need do visit right away. Even if you never work with anything but beads, stones and findings, you'll still want to visit. They've got findings and charms and more stuff you can use. Sign up for their newsletter here.

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Lots to see over at Artbeads with new ZambaPro Metallite metallized plastic beads and 70 new Natural Treasures products. There is a great newsletter special going on, so you'll want to subscribe right away, it expires Nov. 27th. The weekly coupon is 5% off $75 or more SCW5P-75, expires at 9am (PST) on Friday, November 27, 2009.

Finally, check the Clearance items & Weekly Specials. - there's just too much stuff on sale to list here.

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Purchase $30 worth of Gift Cards from The Beadin' Path in any combination, and receive a $10 shopping voucher. Offer expires Wednesday, December 24th by 12pm noon EST. Shopping vouchers will be handed out or emailed at time of gift card purchase. Vouchers can be redeemed from January 1st, 2010 - March 1st, 2010. One $10 voucher for every $30 worth of gift cards purchased. Be sure to check the their "Sizzlin' Sale Beads" too.

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ChoiceJewelrySupplies.com Select 14k gold filled, plated and vermeil. Save 10% on items sold within this category. You must enter the coupon code CJSGOLDBEST. Offer expires Nov. 27th.

*Discount will be applied after entering the coupon.Limited to stock on hand. Only one coupon per order please. Valid only at ChoiceJewelrySupplies.com.

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Consumercrafts.com Use promo code GR83PBZ and save 15% on all purchases. Valid thru 11/30/09. Promotion can not be combined with any other promotion. Find their discounted items in the Hot Buys categories.

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Create for Less: Use promo code GR83PBZ and save 15% on all purchases through November 30th. Also, check the Weekly Specials.

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D&I Beads 40% off all orders $35.00 or more. Enter code:THANKSGIVINGSPECIAL40 This offer expires on November 27th, 2009.

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Dreamtime Creations - Follow them on Twitter for their Twitter only specials (currently running at 10% off coupon). Sign up for the newsletter to get their offers as they come out.

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Dry Gulch Beads & Jewelry use the code, TURKEY in the comments box in the shopping cart during checkout to receive 25% off your entire purchase of beads, findings and jewelry. The discount does NOT apply to shipping fees.

Shop through Thanksgiving weekend. This Thanksgiving Sale is only valid between 12:01 am, Friday, November 20 and 11:59 pm, Sunday, November 29.

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Earthstone - Check the sales pages for the "last few strands" of limited items. Quite a variety of stones I don't see everywhere.

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Fusionbeads.com - 20% of on their entire collection of sterling silver finished chains through Monday, Nov. 23, 2009, 12 noon PST.

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A Grain of Sand - German Polka Dot beads are 25% off. Orders over $75 get free shipping within the U.S. There's also the Jabber Blabber Specials and Closeouts to take note of.

*This special does not include *net priced items or closeouts.

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JewelrySupply.com weekly sales refresh every Monday and Closeouts are offered while supplies last. Newsletter sign up is here.

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Lima Beads Lunch Specials are great deals you can take advantage of every Tuesday - sign up for their email reminder.

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Magpie Gemstones has a number of great deals going on - check here for the closeout specials (it was Apetite last time I checked) and if you subscribe to the newsletter before November 30th, you'll be entered in a $200 shopping spree drawing. Additional, generous, discount codes (10% break at $75) can be found on the closeout page, too if you scroll down.

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At Rings & Things you can see all the specials and sales on one page.The 5-day sale is scheduled to start on Nov. 25th, haven't seen anything that suggests otherwise.

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Sedonastones.com - Check the Clearance items pages and subscribe for great email offers.

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I get the weekly newsletter from Shipwreck Beads as well. I don't recall seeing any coupons or discounts, though. They do offer flat rate UPS shipping for $5 in the 48 contiguous states and a huge selection. Plus every week newsletter subscribers have a chance at a prize drawing of at least $250. Every now and then it's $1000 (This coming Friday, for example). On January 1, 2010 they'll announce the winner of their $2500 shopping spree. Sign up for the newsletter here.

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Soft Flex is having 72 hr Holiday Sales, Mondays thru Thursdays. For a really deep discount, try the cool "Mystery Package" spend $25 for $100 worth of materials.

Sign up for the Soft Flex newsletter email to get Early Bird specials and advance notices + other fun news.

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Trader Lou's has many gemstone pendants on clearance sale you could incorporate into your work. They also sell beads, gemstones, and supplies.

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Don't see your favorite online shop here? Just leave me the link in comments and I'll be sure to check them out and share their specials and sales here.

Also, if you follow* this blog, you'll never miss a sale because you forgot to check - I'll be delivered right to your reader or Blogger dashboard every day!

*Look up at the uppermost left hand side of this page - see the boxes that say "search blog" "flag blog" and "follow blog" - just click the "follow blog" box!

As always, sign up for the supplier newsletters where offered, to get special offers and early notification of great deals. Most of the info you see here, you could have seen earlier this week in the supplier newsletters, 'cause that's where I found it!

Come back tomorrow to Wander the Beadosphere with me - so much to see out there!

Friday Pick - Just A Tish

Normally for my Friday Picks (when I do them), I feature selections of beads from suppliers, but today I'm going to kick off a new feature where my Friday Pick is an artisan. In the future I'll feature the glass, stone and ceramic artists whose beads have caught my eye and been incorporated in my designs. For the premier pick, I've chosen Just A Tish, whose work I greatly admire and am proud to own.

Tish is a true friend of beaders and jewelry artists - she's so supportive and eager to share her knowledge, trials and tribulations and promote others, too. She's often given me ideas that encourage me to try something new, take a chance, be a bit less straight-laced about designs.

Tish has had her designs published numerous times in Bead Trends and has done jewelry for fashion shows and gallery shows. She also has her work at Gifts With A Heart, in Raleigh, North Carolina and other stores, including one here in California (Sherman Oaks). I need to find out what store so I can stop in when I'm down in Southern California!

Back in October, I was the *very* lucky winner of drawing at Just A Tish's Facebook fan page. Do click that link and be a fan of hers, if you're not already - she's had great offers and giveaways there.

The prize I received was a gorgeous heat treated agate pendant that Just A Tish had made. It is adorned with garnet, citrine, crystal and sterling charms. I've been looking for just the right beads to make a necklace to hang it on and the other day at Lima Beads I found these gorgeous 6mm faceted carnelian rounds which looked like a good match and turned out to be perfect. I've put some sterling silver saucer spacers from Artbeads in the mix, too.

So, Tish, I hope you know how special you are and how much of an inspiration you are to me! Thank you for the encouragement you give and the beauty you create. Here's my new favorite necklace:

See her work for sale at Just A Tish's online store, check out what's new on her blog, and at Facebook (check out the photo albums, too!). And, if you're on Twitter she's @JustATish.

See you tomorrow for the Supplier Sales Saturday feature!

Rhodonite & Filigree Necklace

I have had this rhodonite oval bead glued to a four leaf filigree from Accessories Susan, in which I had curled each of the leaves into a tube shape, sitting on my worktable for ages. I liked the idea, just wasn't sure where to go with it.

Then I found these huge rhodonite ovals at Michael's and thought I'd try making it into a pendant that hung under the filigree piece. I used the same chain and a long eyepin to attach it. I thought it looked too plain, but I wore it anyway to see if it got any notice. Didn't get a peep.

Got home and set it on the table to ponder it some more. Then I got the idea to embellish the huge oval somehow, maybe use some filigree to wrap around it. Finally decided to glue an embossed sterling silver plated filigree piece to it and added a little rhinestone to the center. I think I'm going to add some clear Swarovski bicones and filigree tube links on the chain next.

This has been a very busy week at work and when I'm home I'm pretty tired, although I do manage to do a piece or two each night. As I mentioned yesterday I was focusing on bracelets and meant to get some earrings done, but I keep making new bracelets - I'll show them and possibly a new necklace, if I finish it in time, tomorrow.

The countdown clock is ticking away - I'm starting to obsess about my display now, and how I'll get it all in the car for the long drive to L.A. Since my daughter is coming up over the weekend to spend Thanksgiving week here, I'll have to clear all my stuff out of her bedroom which doubles as a photography "studio" and storage for all my displays and other related stuff. The dining room is going to be overwhelmed since it will become my staging area until I pack it up for next Wednesday's trip.

Hope you'll drop by again tomorrow!

Mid-Week Mutterings - Bracelet Frenzy!

As promised, here's most of the output (aside from the Beadin' Path design partner bracelets I showed the other day) of my bracelet frenzy this weekend. There's one more I hadn't put the clasp on to and I've got a couple under construction, as well.

I wanted to work from the fall color palette, so I kept it close at hand as I selected the beads for these. I did consider mixing it up a bit in terms of using contrasting colors in the bracelets, but ended up only doing the one (in the center) with two colors that I wouldn't have normally put together. The bracelets feature a lot of gold filled beads and gemstones (except for the two on the far right and the copper one on the far left). I also liked the way the on the mookaite strand were pretty random, so I strung that bracelet straight off the strand with gold filled spacers between each faceted rondelle.

I used CRYSTALLIZED™ Swarovski Elements bicones in each design, except for the two directly to the right and left of center, the pearls in the far left and third from the left are Swarovski, but the ones on the amethyst bracelet (second from left) are freshwater cultured pearls.

Which are your favorites? I really like them all, but I think my favorite is the dark brown and antique brass. The copper with carnelian and the mookaite ones are my next favorite.

I'm pretty close to having what I think is a fairly decent inventory of bracelets, so I may focus on earrings for a while. My inclination is to make sets - earrings that match either my necklaces, lanyards or bracelets - what do you think?

Tuesday Tidbits - Re-worked Rings & Things Blog Partner Design

I mentioned in the post last week about using the "M - Moments" charm that I wasn't quite satisfied with how it turned out. The other night I sat down and re-worked it. I'm now much more pleased:

I've moved the second gear to the same side as the first and used two large faceted carnelian stones with a couple additional CRYSTALLIZED™ Swarovski Elements Red Magma bicones to the other side. It's still got balance but the effect is definitely asymmetrical. To close the chain I turned the large 'spinner' into a toggle to go through the gear - may need to use a smaller spinner, though. The copper "M" Moments Muse Token and spinners that were part of the package Rings & Things sent, the rest of the items were in my stash. Gears came from the Tim Holtz Idea-ology collection.

I made a bracelet that sort of coordinates, but I'm thinking about using more copper gears and the carnelian to make one that's more in line with this design.

Speaking of bracelets, come back tomorrow to see the bracelet frenzy part 2 post!



FTC compliance disclosure notice of material connections: All items referenced in this post were personally purchased, with the exception of the Idea-ology Muse Token & Idea-ology spinner, which were provided by Rings & Things as a promotional gift in exchange for my design ideas and/or review of the product.

Monday Miscellany - Beadin' Path Design Partner Baby Blues

Later in the week I'll share more about it, but this weekend I was in a bracelet frenzy. I've got tons of necklaces and lanyards for the show next week (yikes!) but not many bracelets, and I could use some earrings, too.

So today I'll share the bracelets I made with the vintage baby blue German glass faceted beads The Beadin' Path sent me in my recent Design Partner batch (the bag on the right in the picture below). By the way, the only beads left from that batch that I still haven't figured out what to do with are the opaque baby blue "bones and pods" strand (second from the right). Yep, that's what they look like to me and they're driving me crazy. I've got an idea for the yellow disk beads (second from left) but I haven't started working on it yet - maybe later this week.

Anyway, I made 6 bracelets so far from the faceted baby blue vintage glass. They still need to be finished, but it's getting late and I need to get this post done so I can go to bed! I'll add the clasps to them soon.

For the ones above, along with the vintage glass beads, I used CRYSTALLIZED™ Swarovski Elements opaque turquoise bicones, sterling floral bead caps, silver beads and a faceted glass roundel in the one on the left. The one in the middle has the faceted, rounded cube and bicone beads I got last year in Fayetteville, NC plus silver, and the last one has Beadin' Path sea-glass style beads and silver. You can probably tell the vintage faceted beads have an iridescent coating, but the picture doesn't do it justice (nor to the iridescence of the rounded cube beads).

The bracelet on the left above, uses gold filled disk spacers and beads with the vintage glass. The center one has Golden Shadow CRYSTALLIZED™ Swarovski Elements bicones and gold beads. The one on the right has copper bead caps and Padparadscha CRYSTALLIZED™ Swarovski Elements bicones. I wanted to use a really different color and thought the unusual pink/red of Padparadscha made a very interesting contrast and looks nice with copper.

I have really enjoyed working out how to use the Beadin' Path beads over the last few weeks - they've been challenging, but once I got an idea, it was a lot of fun trying to make it work out. If only I could figure out what to do with those bones and pods. I've still got plenty of the faceted blue beads, so one of those bracelets may have a matching necklace, soon.

Hope you'll be back tomorrow - I think I'll write about the rest of the bracelet frenzy and show you what came of it.




FTC compliance disclosure notice of material connections: All items referenced in this post, with the exception of the vintage glass baby blue faceted vintage German glass beads provided to me for use as a Design Partner, were personally purchased.

Weekly Wanderings Around the Beadosphere

Another beautiful fall Sunday here in Silicon Valley. It's cool and clear outside, the leaves on the little pear tree out back have changed and are starting to fall. Here's hoping the talented residents of the Beadosphere are having a similarly lovely day. Let's see what they've been up to this week!

A Bead A Day kicks off a week of sharing her Rings & Things blog partner items with "Forevermore" and wraps it up with a really beautiful bracelet she made using a number of the goodies.

Bead Origami made it to the Rings & Things traveling bead show.

Beading Gem's Journal - the week's "bookends" were Fabric Jewelery Tutorial links and Wire Wrapping Cabochon Tutorial links but in-between are some incredible designs using Swarovski, LED lights and a lovely pair if earrings to go with a leopard skin patterned wood bead necklace.

Wendy at Craft Dinner has been having a winning week! First it was cool goodies from HHH Enterprises, then the Rings & Things Guest Blog Partner drawing! She's also a regular Beadin' Path design partner and shared about the cool Lucite beads she just received.

Also Mrs.B at The Daily Whine posted a while back and I missed it, but she's planning to compete in the Rings & Things "Your Designs Rock" contest

Across the ocean at Deez News, Davinia's creating new earrings with interesting materials and her usual flair.

ErtheFae's "ArtBead" day, Elvensoul featured at the Art Bead Scene, and a coupon code you can use from Artbeads.com.

Just A Tish found inspiration on Sesame Street, had an idea in her head work out perfectly using her Rings & Things blog partner goodies - the wood chain creating the perfect backdrop to copper chain and gorgeous stones, very early morning beading, "life saving" memory wire and a reminder that the Bead Trends May deadline is nearly upon us!

Ladybead talks about Twitter.

Silver Parrot got her Rings & Things goodies, shares a lovely pink lampwork bead necklace, and the Friday bead porn post should definitely be on your weekly reading list.

Smutopia explains her recent lack of posts - it's *very* good news, congratulations Jessica!

WillowWalker's been very busy! Check out every day, but my favorites were Ice Queen, Eclipse, and Aurora. It's not only that she makes gorgeous dichroic fused glass focals, but the wire work she finishes them with is so beautifully done.

Artbeads Blog - A cool program for beaders with Nintendo DS, beautiful fairy themed necklace by Andrew Thornton using one of the lovely painted onyx focals.

Beadalon Blog - a great idea for finishing off a multi strand necklace.

Friendly Plastic - Contest going on, ends the 18th.

Objects & Elements shares cool texturizing techniques & a great torch safety post.

Ornamentea's Shiny Little Things blog challenges you to try mixed metals.

Rings & Things blog featured "shellies" last week.

SoftFlexGirl announced the winner of the drawing, shared a "how to" post link for "Lucky Earth" necklace, and shared some fashion clips featuring designer love for yellow this fall.

Supplier Sales Saturday - Bargains for Making Holiday Gifts & Crafts

11 days 'til Thanksgiving! Which also means 42 days until Christmas (I think - math was never my strong suit). If you're thinking of making someone a special gift, or perhaps decorating your home, here are the latest bargains and coupon deals from over 20 suppliers of craft and jewelry supplies.

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abeadstore.com Save 10% on all Czech glass items in this promotions category*. Enter the coupon code ABSCZECHGLASS as you check out. Offer ends November 18th. Coupon codes also appear on the home page, D100 for 10% off orders of $100 or more and D250 for 15% off orders of $250 or more. You can bookmark their blog "Daily Bead Buzz" or get the info via email Newsletter, signup at this link for notice of special offers.

*Limited to items within the category and to the stock on hand. Only one coupon per order please. Valid only at abeadstore.com.

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If you're into mixed media the Alpha Stamps site has some great supplies and project ideas for Christmas. Right now Adirondack alcohol inks in singles and sets are on sale, scroll further down that page for the paint dabbers, also on sale.

If you want to see everything on sale at AlphaStamps, it's all on one page, too. If you're not familiar with AlphaStamps, you need do visit right away. Even if you never work with anything but beads, stones and findings, you'll still want to visit. They've got findings and charms and more stuff you can use. Sign up for their newsletter here.

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Lots to see over at Artbeads: "Cornocopia of Crystal" sale - save up to 35% on their top 500 Swarovski products. Also, the weekly coupon is a good one, save 15% on select holiday items when you use coupon code SCW15P-HIS at checkout. Coupon expires at 9am (PST) on Tuesdsay, November 17, 2009. Only one coupon may be used per order.

Buy More Save More Coupon codes: $5 off orders from $40 to $75 - SCW5D-40, $10 off orders from $75 to $100 - SCW10D-75, $15 off orders from $100 to $150 - SCW15D-100, $25 off orders over $150 - SCW25D-150. Coupons expires at 9am (PST) on Thursday, November 19, 2009. Only one coupon may be used per order*.

"Saturday Night Bead Fever" newsletter subscriber special through Thursday, Nov. 19th, Subscribe to the newsletter for that offer and other exclusive newsletter deals.

Finally, check the Clearance items & Weekly Specials. - there's just too much stuff on sale to list here.

*Please note: This e-coupon is ONLY for orders placed directly on the website. Only one coupon may be used per order. Smaller orders CANNOT be combined to qualify for the discount. Coupons cannot be applied to the purchase of Gift Certificates or Gift Cards. All orders placed with coupons that include either of these items along with additional products will be reviewed and discounts will be adjusted as needed.

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The Beadin Path has "Sizzlin' Sale Beads" and a new batch of limited vintage glass. You can get 5% off purchase of $50 or more using coupon code NEWIN*. Also, Spend $50 on Lucite and get $5 off using coupon code LUCLRN at checkout.**

*Offer expires Tuesday night, November 17th at 11:59pm EST or store close. Offer valid to both retail & wholesale customers & valid for in-stock merchandise only. Coupon does not apply to beading classes, Beads-in-the-Mail-Club memberships, or gift cards or gift certificates. Merchandise is always limited when dealing with vintage, so orders are filled on a first placed, first filled basis.

**Details: Offer valid to both retail & wholesale customers, for one time use. Discount will be applied to Lucite items purchased "online only" at BeadinPath.com. Offer extended to Monday, November 16, 2009, at midnight EST.

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ChoiceJewelrySupplies.com Sterling Silver beads, findings, wire & chain. Save 10% through November 20, on items within the category*, including crimps, round beads, rings, head pins, crimp covers, etc. You’ll also find some specialty items like pearl enhancers, pinch bails and ear clips.
Coupon code CJSSSBEST.

*Discount will be applied after entering the coupon.Limited to stock on hand. Only one coupon per order please. Valid only at ChoiceJewelrySupplies.com.

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Consumercrafts.com Use promo code GR83PBZ and save 15% on all purchases. Valid thru 11/30/09. Promotion can not be combined with any other promotion. Find their discounted items in the Hot Buys categories.

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Create for Less: Holiday Sale on Sulyn products (looks like a lot of glitter and 'spangles') plus save up to 70% off when you shop the CreateForLess Clearance Department. Craft, scrapbooking and sewing supplies. Save on idea books, patterns, paper, stickers and more. Quantities are limited. Also, check the Weekly Specials.

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D&I Beads 40% off all orders $35.00 or more. Enter code:THANKSGIVINGSPECIAL40 This offer expires on November 27th, 2009

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Dreamtime Creations - Follow them on Twitter for their Twitter only specials (currently running at 10% off coupon). They're running a sale on Iron-on Christmas Appliques for 25% off, and place any order over $50.00 you can choose to receive free piece of sterling silver jewelry as a gift.

They've got a limited amount of Swarovski sew-on emerald margarita beads (great for Christmas tree earrings) - not on sale, but apparently a discontinued, and hard to find item, that may sell out quickly, so I thought I'd mention it here.

Sign up for the newsletter to get their offers as they come out.

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Dry Gulch Beads & Jewelry 10% off Bead & Findings orders over $150. Free 1st Class Shipping for orders $50 and up (US). Doesn't look like a coupon code is necessary.

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Earthstone - Check the sales pages for the "last few strands" of limited items. Quite a variety of stones I don't see everywhere.

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Fusionbeads.com - save 10% on beading hoops you can use to make holiday stemmed glass markers at FusionBeads.com through Nov. 16, 2009, 12 noon PST

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A Grain of Sand - in their latest "Jabber Blabber" newsletter (subscribe) they're promoting a "Sparkle Special"! for 10% of all regularly priced Swarovski Crystal as well as the new and very popular Swarovski crystal encrusted filigree beads, through November 20th.

To take advantage of this special, write the words "Sparkle Special" in the comment section during the checkout of your online order*. You have to ask for the special to receive the special, they will add the discount during the processing of your order so you will not see it until the shipping confirmation. There's also the Jabber Blabber Specials and Closeouts to take note of.

*This special does not include *net priced items or closeouts.

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JewelrySupply.com weekly sales refresh every Monday and Closeouts are offered while supplies last. Newsletter sign up is here.

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Lima Beads Lunch Specials are great deals you can take advantage of every Tuesday - sign up for their email reminder.

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Magpie Gemstones has a number of great deals going on - check here for the closeout specials (it was 15 to 30% off Turquoise beads last time I checked) and if you subscribe to the newsletter before November 30th, you'll be entered in a $200 shopping spree drawing. Additional, generous, discount codes (10% break at $75) can be found on the closeout page, too if you scroll down.

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Rings & Things - 5-day sale on #5000 faceted round beads by CRYSTALLIZED™ – Swarovski Elements ends tomorrow.

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Sedonastones.com - Check the Clearance items pages and subscribe for great email offers.

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I get the weekly newsletter from Shipwreck Beads as well. I don't recall seeing any coupons or discounts, though. They do offer flat rate UPS shipping for $5 in the 48 contiguous states and a huge selection. Plus every week newsletter subscribers have a chance at a prize drawing of at least $250. Every now and then it's $1000. On January 1, 2010 they'll announce the winner of their $2500 shopping spree. Sign up for the newsletter here.

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Soft Flex is having 72 hr Holiday Sales, Mondays thru Thursdays. For a really deep discount, try the cool "Mystery Package" spend $25 for $100 worth of materials.

Sign up for the Soft Flex newsletter email to get Early Bird specials and advance notices + other fun news.

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Trader Lou's has many gemstone pendants on clearance sale you could incorporate into your work. They also sell beads, gemstones, and supplies.

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Don't see your favorite online shop here? Just leave me the link in comments and I'll be sure to check them out and share their specials and sales here.

Also, if you follow* this blog, you'll never miss a sale because you forgot to check - I'll be delivered right to your reader or Blogger dashboard every day!

*Look up at the uppermost left hand side of this page - see the boxes that say "search blog" "flag blog" and "follow blog" - just click the "follow blog" box!

As always, sign up for the supplier newsletters where offered, to get special offers and early notification of great deals. Most of the info you see here, you could have seen earlier this week in the supplier newsletters, 'cause that's where I found it!

Come back tomorrow to Wander the Beadosphere with me - so much to see out there!

Vintage Glass & Gold Beading Chain Necklace, Plus Another Last Minute Creation

Last night I was looking over the rest of The Beadin' Path vintage glass (pictured above) - there was still a strand of light blue opaque glass and the bag of faceted light blue iridescent finish beads (far right), a strand of yellow & white glass disks (second from left), and a strand of red fluted roundels in the same shape and size as the amber colored ones I'd used the other day (in the center).

Since I had a good amount of those amber glass fluted roundels, I thought I'd see what I could come up with using them with the red ones. As I was staring at them trying to think of what I might design, I remembered I'd bought a set of lovely lampwork autumn leaves and matching spacer beads from Mermaid Glass and thought those would look lovely with the red and gold.

First I strung them on beading wire, but then I thought it would be interesting to try using some gold filled beading chain I had. The spacers are gold vermeil daisies. The round bit that finished the end that the lobster claw clasp is on is a Scrimp cable-end from Beadalon. The necklace is 18" long.

I'm very fond of this necklace and look forward to showing it off.

Speaking of showing off...this morning I had some extra time before work, so I decided to make a bracelet to complement the copper and green glass necklace lanyard I had picked out to wear. Took about 30 - 35 minutes because I used wrapped loops. I am thinking about adding some Swarovski to it - I've got some huge bicones (10 or 12 mm) I picked up at Global Beads - I forgot to ask the color, they have an AB finish and are a orange-y tone, perhaps the color is "sun" but I'm not sure. The fancy antiqued interlocking arcs copper beads and bright, smooth copper spheres (no longer listed) are from Lima Beads and the chain is from Michael's. I've had the clasp in my stash for some time and don't recall where I got it.

I seem to get some pretty good ideas when I'm trying to figure out what to wear to work.

Do come back tomorrow for a great list of sales and bargains tomorrow!




FTC compliance disclosure notice of material connections: All items referenced in this post, with the exception of the red and gold vintage glass beads provided by The Beadin' Path, were personally purchased.

A Handmade Holiday Giveaway and Two Limited Time Sales

Taking today and maybe Friday, too, off from my usual post about a design or two and showing some pictures of the work. I'll be back on Saturday with my usual Supplier Sales post. Before I go, there are a few things I wanted to mention, though.

1st is the giveaway at Create for Less - "Handmade Holidays Drawing"

Send us your best handmade holiday creation, from Christmas cards and ornaments to holiday gifts and home décor. We can't wait to see your holiday creativity! Simply pick out your favorite holiday project, enter below and you could win a $100 CreateForLess shopping spree!

Entry form link

The second is Rings & Things 5-day sale is going on now through Sunday, and it's a 15% off price on Swarovsky round beads. If you're thinking of making really special holiday jewelry as gifts or to dress up your holiday party outfits, this is a good deal to take advantage of!

Lastly, The Beadin' Path is having a sale special through this Saturday only on their Lucite items. If you're not subscribed to their newsletter mailing list (the sign-up box is on the home page), you're missing out not only on deals like today's, but also on great information. For example, the current email is all about the what, where, when and how of The Beadin' Path's fabulous collection of vintage Lucite - the story of how they found their vintage Lucite flowers is really interesting!

Oh, and the sale? Spend $50 on Lucite and get $5 off. Order $50 or more Lucite using coupon code LUCLRN at checkout and get $5 off. Valid to both retail & wholesale customers, for one time use. Discount will be applied to Lucite items purchased "online only" at BeadinPath.com. Offer expires Saturday, November 14, 2009, at midnight EST.

Normally I do sales info on Saturday, but since both of these sales are ending over the weekend, I didn't want you to miss out.

Mid-Week Mutterings - Can't Decide...

Before I start with the bead stuff - as the granddaughter, daughter and sister of veterans, and the mother of a soldier on active duty, my honor, respect and prayers to all who have served and the families who stand beside them.

I can't decide if the picture below looks Christmas-y or more like a vegetable medley with cucumbers, onions and tomatoes. I'm finding the results of my design efforts tonight rather unsatisfying.

So here's how this evening's play with the vintage glass from The Beadin' Path went. I stared at the red set of beads. Remembered that I had a little box of what I think of as 'real' green beads I had bought last December and used in Christmas lanyards. Got those out. Strung the middle strand, above, using the red flower and "berries" beads from the vintage glass strand with the green beads.

I thought it was ok, but since there weren't enough for a strand longer than 12 inches, I figured I'd do a multi strand and attach it to something longer - ribbon, chain, wasn't sure then nor now. So I grab the faceted white opaque vintage glass I'd gotten in last month's Bead of the Month package from The Beadin' Path and strung those with the 'pod' beads and some red flower disk spacers - top strand above.

Maybe I should have stopped there, but I decided one more strand. Got out the only opaque red and white beads I thought might work - some diagonally drilled cubes and oval twists. Strung those with the green.

I think there's too much green too close together and that the size of the beads in the bottom strand needs to be bigger to balance out the larger white and red beads of the top strand. It's back to the drawing board. This time I work the pods in with smaller beads and the faceted white beads (which I'm starting to think of as snowballs) on the bottom with red diagonally drilled cubes.

And, nope, again. Sigh.

I'm too tired to try again tonight, but I'll keep working on this. The current thinking is the green and red strand will have to go, but I like it so I'll figure out a way to make it into a longer single strand piece.

Of course none of this is the fault of the beads - both the red set and the white strand are lovely and I enjoy working with beads that have history, which these vintage beads certainly have.

More tomorrow!




FTC compliance disclosure notice of material connections: All items referenced in this post, with the exception of the red vintage glass beads, were personally purchased.

Tuesday Tidbit - Rings & Things Goodies Have Arrived!

Yep, like a few of my fellow Beadospherians, I too have received my blog partner package from Rings & Things. There was much squeeing involved when I spotted it waiting for me.

I want to do a fuller post about the wonderful items, (and as you can see from Just A Tish's post, there were a lot of great goodies) but I didn't have a lot of time this evening*, so I'll just show you what I was immediately inspired to do with the copper "M" Moments Muse Token and spinners that were part of the package. The other items in the necklace were already in my stash from various places - the Swarovski red magma bicones, the Tim Holtz Idea-ology gears, and some copper chain. The piece is much longer than shown because I pulled it up to fit better on the smaller display bust I have in my workroom.

*I write almost all my posts the night before they publish.

Now, this is just a quick first pass at using the Muse Token. I have to let it "age" a bit while I stare at it and figure out what I want to do. The first thing that came to mind, after just a few minutes of pondering, is that I want to do it asymmetrically instead, and I'm probably going to add other crystal embellishments, maybe some pearls, and perhaps another chain. I think one of those open gears might be good as part of a toggle closure, or paired with a copper hook.

There are a number of ideas I've had for using the Moments charm, and I may indeed remove it (temporarily) to try those ideas out. The Idea-ology pieces have a nice patina and full packages come in three metal colors: antique brass, antique silver and antique copper. I'm not sure, however, whether they are the actual metal or a plating - I suspect plating but I haven't sacrificed a piece to check that.

The pieces are one sided, and the back side is textured, which I think is a drawback when used as a charm on a bracelet or on earrings. In a necklace it's not so much of an issue. The gears and keyholes are rather large, so whatever you make with them is going to be pretty bold. I like the delicacy of using gears from watches in my steampunk style pieces, but the Idea-ology line isn't a bad option, just a bit more 'mass market-y'.

One other thing from the goodies I'll mention before I wrap this up, is a length of ebony wood chain. The links are *huge*, the larger one is almost 1¾" long and the smaller one is 11/16 ". This may very well strain my comfie zone excruciatingly before I come up with a design, but I'm excited about the challenge. As a matter of fact, I got a length of brown polyester chain in my Beads in the Mail club package from The Beadin' Path the other day, and I have a glimmer of an idea about using it and the wooden chain together...we'll see.

I hope to have more time tomorrow night to take some additional pictures and discuss the rest of the Rings & Things items, so I hope you'll return for my Mid-Week Mutterings!





FTC compliance disclosure notice of material connections: All items referenced in this post were personally purchased, with the exception of the Idea-ology Muse Token, Idea-ology spinner and Ebony wood chain, which were provided by Rings & Things as a promotional gift in exchange for my design ideas and/or review of the product.

Today's post sponsored by:

Dawno

Sell Handmade